From mendicott@igc.org Mon Nov  4 09:38:44 1991
From: mendicott@igc.org (Marcus L. Endicott)
Newsgroups: talk.politics.soviet
Subject: Sov. govt. comm. sys. during coup
Date: 2 Nov 91 16:27:00 GMT


THE SOVIET GOVERNMENT'S SPECIAL COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM DURING THE PUTSCH
                  a MOSCOW NEWS exclusive by Igor Baranovsky
 
Bush couldn't get through to Gorbachev, Mitterrand spoke to an 
operator...
 
August 18, 1991.
17:55. Comrade A.G.Beda (chief of the USSR government's special 
communications service under the KGB, later dismissed from the 
post -- I.B.) orders the communications lines linking Yalta and 
Foros with Kiev, Simferopol, and Sevastopol switched over to 
manual operation mode (switch-board -- I.B.).
20:00. All the above-said lines have been switched to manual 
operation mode.
August 19,1991.
15:14. Comrade Beda orders special lines to Yeltsin cut off.
15:25. The lines have been cut off.
22:02. A call placed from Washington. US President Bush wants to 
speak to Gorbachev. Comrade Volkov (Beda's deputy -- I.B.) has 
been informed.
22:17. Comrade Volkov suggests that Bush speaks to the acting 
President, Comrade Yanayev.
22:21. The American side rejects the suggestion. They want to 
speak to Gorbachev and no one else. This was reported to Comrade 
Volkov.
August 20.
13:42. A trunk call was placed from Washington. Bush wants to 
speak to Comrade Yeltsin. Comrade Volkov is informed.
14:07. Comrade Volkov forbids the connection.
14:17. Washington has been repeatedly explained to that Yeltsin 
is not available, since his telephone can't be located.
16:55. Another call for Yeltsin. This was reported to Comrade 
Volkov.
13:44. French President Mitterrand wants to speak to Comrade 
Gorbachev. This was reported to Comrade Volkov.
14:07. Comrade Volkov suggests to Mitterrand that the latter be 
put through to Comrade Yanayev instead.
14:40. Mitterrand spoke to an operator of the international 
telephone exchange in Moscow and asked her whether she had any 
information about Gorbachev. After a negative reply he hung up.  
This was reported to Comrade Volkov.
August 21.
13:04. A line to Yeltsin has been restored, on Beda's order.  
That signified the end of putsch to the special communications
system operators. A few minutes later Beda ordered lines to 
Yazov, Kryuchkov, and Yanayev to be broken.
 
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